Track fastening



July 8 1924. 1,500,203

. c. E. PRICE TRACK FASTENING Filed June 29, 1925 2 Sheena-sheen 1 au? Kaw, aormgl July s, 1924. 1,500,203

C.E.PmCE

TRACK FASTENING Filed June 29, 1923 Z'Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 8, 1924.

UNITED vSTATES CHARLES-E. PRICE, 0F AUSTRN, WEST VIRGINIA.

TRACK FASTENING.

' Application led June 29,1923;V Serial No. 648,530.

To all whom t may concern:

Y Be it known that I, CHARLES E. PRIcE,a citizen of the United States, residing at Austen, in the county of Preston and State of West `Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements v'in Track Fastenings, of which the following is aspeciication. v

This invention has relation to track fastenings and isintended more particularly to provide simple, easily applied and efl cient means for'holding the rails of mine tracks in place. The tracks upon which mine cars travel to carry the product ofthe mine to the mouth thereof are laid upon uneven. ground and must be capable ofrapid and cheap construction, and, as ordinarily constructed, the tracks are liable to spread and cause derailment of the cars. It is the primary object of my invention to provide a tie which may be rapidly placed in position along the line of the proposed track and which will be of such construction that it will not slide either transversely or longitudinally of the track. A further object ofthe invention is to provide means whereby the rails-will be securely held upon the ties, and a still further object'of theinvention is to provide a track fastening which may be employed atthe joints'of the rails with equal eiiiciency asA at points intermediate the ends of a rail and which is also adaptable tosecurely hold a rail which may be placed upon its side to provide` a short extension ofthe track. These stated objects, and other objects Vwhich will hereinafter incidentally appear, are attained in such a structure as is illustrated in the ac companying drawings, and the invention `resides in certain novel features which will behereinafter fully set forth. Y-

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a tie vand track fastening embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of thetrack upon the line 2-2jofFig. l;

Y f Fig. 3 is a perspective view of parts of the fastening showing the same separated; Fig. 4 is a similar view showing another form :of rail-engaging member;

. Fig. 5 is a bottom the tie,l and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a portion of the track showing an adaptation of the invention whereby to provide a short extension of the track. Y

The rails 1 are of the usual T-shaped plan view of one end of formation, and in carrying out my inven- `ends ofthe tie which may penetrate the ground so that, when lthe tie has been once set in position, it will be preventedfrom moving either` longitudinally or transversely of the track. The 'tops of the ties are flat so as to provide a firm bed or support for the rails and at the ends Aof the ties are provided overhanging lugs or rail-engaging plates 6 which vmay be short plates vSPaced apart, as shownin Fig. 3, ormay be one continuous plate, as -shownat 7 in Fig. 4. Of course, when the single continuous platev 7 isfemployed, the end teeth or spurs 5; will be omitted, andan advantageous arrangement` is to provide the alternate ties at their opposite ends` with the spurs `5 and the elongated plates 7 respectively. Near the ends of the ties, the side' flanges 3, are provided with a plurality of longitudinally eX- tendingv slots 8, the purpose of which will Apresently appear. Restingupon the ties at plate 11 connecting the said side `plates at their'inner ends. From-the outer edge of minates at the cent-ral vertical web of the rail, as shown at the left in Fig. 2, but, when it is to be employed at a joint between the meeting ends of alined rails, the lip or flange is extended vertically to provide a web-engaging plate or standard 13 provided at its upper edgeand at its ends with outwardly projecting lugs 14 adapted tol pass through openings 15 provided therefor in the webs of the rails, as clearly shown at the right in Figs. 1 and 2. The side plates 10 of these holding members are constructed with longitudinally extendi'ngslots 16, and keys 17 are inserted through the said slots and the slots 8 in the flanges of the tie which may be alined with the said slots 16. The keys 17, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, are wedge shapedy and the slotsl are' of correspondingly different lengths so that, when the key is inserted,` as shown in Fig. 5, it will have a wedging, binding action upon 'the end walls ofthe slots so asto firmly secure the rail-clamping lates upon the ties. Ifv the keys be provi ed with notched edges, as shown in Fig. 5', the possibility of back motion and consequent loosening thereof will be lessened. To prevent loss of the keys,y they are preferably' connected to the respective ties by chains or similar elements, as indicated alb-18'.

In mine track construction, it frequently happens that the laid track terminates a distance from the-Work lessthan the length of a rail. This may be due to various causes andisprincipally du'e tothe fact that, as the work progresses and the mining machine is to be moved forward, the distance to which the track is to be extended is less than the length of a. rail. Under these circumstances, it is customary to employ a rail placed upon its side, as shown at 19 in Fig. 6, the head of the Lsaid railA engaging between the base flangeand the head of the laid rail with the upper side edge of the-rail 19 projecting latorally inward beyondthe side ofthe head of the laidrail, as shown at 20 in Fig. 6. As the distance to which this extended rail must project` beyond the end ofthe laid track' is relatively short, it hasl been fou-nd that the mine cars may readily ride upon the rail 19 byy having the flanges of the' car wheels rest upon the projectingupper side face of the head' of the said rail 1'9. To secure the rail in thisv partly inverted o1` turned position, thev holding plate 9` is' shifted inwardly along the tie so; that' the slots'16 in the side plates of the rail-holding'member or clamp Vwill aline withv theinner slots 8.V of thel tie and the key 17 is then inserted through the said alined slots so that the edge of the lip or flange 12 will bear against the base of the turned rail 19, as shown clearly in Fig. 6, and thereby hold the said rail 19 firmly against the laid track rail.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the use and advantages of my improved track fastening will be readily appreciated. The ties may be readily placed in position along the line of the proposed track and will readily penetrate the bed or floor of the Ymine-so that they will be firmly held in place. The rail clamps are merely placed over the tie-s at the inner sides of the rails and then shoved longitudinally on the ties so that the rail-engaging lips or flanges of the clamps will pass overthe base flanges of the rails and the lugs or spurs 14. will pass through the openingsl when the clamp is located at a rail joint. The spurs or lugs 14 lll by their engagement with the openings 15 through the webs of the rails positively prevent creeping of the rails and the clamps employed between the ends of the rails may be secured in such firm engagement therewith by the keys that they will supplement j and aid the? joint clamps to prevent creeping of the rails.r rlhe track may be' laid very rapidly by theuse-of my invention and` when the' mine operations require/an abandonment of' any particular section or room of 'the mine, the rails, tiesI and clamping platesl may be very easily and quickly removed and employ-edy at some point in the; mine where a new trackisy to be laid. Inasm'uch as there are no bolts or nuts employed inthe use of my device, the assembling or disassembling of the several parts may be very easily and rapidly accomplished without the' services of specially trained labor or the use o-f any tools except an ordinary hammer, andthe formationy of the parts is sucht that they may be readily formed fr'ornf sheet metal in a stamping machine.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In ai mine track fastening-the combination of al tie provided at its ends with inwardly extending overhanging rfa-ilengaging flanges and providedl at its sides with depending flanges having longitudinally extending slotst-herethrough at and near its ends, rail-engaging clamps spanning. the tie and provided at their ends with depending sidel plates bearing against theside flanges of the tie a-nd constructed with slots adapted to aline with slots in the side flanges of the tie and provided vat-their outer edges Y with overha'nging. rail-engaging flanges, and securingjkeys inserted through t-he alined slots of the tie and the clamps, said keys be* ing provided along one edge with teeth to engage the opposed wal-l of. a slot and prevent withdrawal of the key.

2. In a track fastening, the combination of a tie, rails provided at their ends with openings through their webs, inwardly pro..- jecting overhanging lips at the ends of the tie to engage over the base flanges of the rails, sheet metal clamps spanning the tie and provided at their outer sides with flanges to engage over the base flanges of the rails, some of said plates being provided 10 with vertically extending bearing plates adapted to bear against the webs of the rails and provided at their upper edges with outwardly projecting lugs to engage through the openings in the rails, the upper edges of all the clamps being below the heads of the rails, and means for securing said clamps in fixed position upon the tie.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

CHARLES E. PRICE.V [Ls] 

